Tuesday, November 1, 2016

World Vegan Day

Because today is World Vegan Day I thought it was the perfect timing to share with you to write another post about my 'vegan journey' (yes I'm aware of how lame this may sound, but there's no other way to say it ;)). More than a year ago, I decided to do the 21-day vegan challenge, just because I was curious to try something new. Little did I know that this would change my whole perception of food. About 90% of the food I eat is plant-based (with some cheats here and there), but I'm going to try again this month to stick to it 100% like I did in January. In this post, I'll share my best tips to eat more plant-based food on a daily basis.

1. Try some alternatives. If you're used to eating poached eggs for Sunday breakfast, why not try something else? There are plenty of alternatives which are just as tasty like banana pancakes, tofu scrambled eggs, açaí bowls topped with granola, avocado toast, crêpes... With a little bit of creativity, you can have lots of other breakfast options without any eggs, dairy or meat.

2. Wow no cow. Talking about milk, you should definitely try to skip the cow's milk and expand your horizons. If you're living in the U.K. or Australia, you're lucky because you can get your hands on Bonsoy which is the tastiest milk ever. I personally love Oatly the most and use it for everything: in my porridge, with muesli, in potato puree, baking etc. I buy it at Albert Heijn, Jumbo or health stores. Milk was the easiest thing for me to replace!

3. Do it together. Find a buddy who wants to take on the challenge as well and reduce their intake of animal products. It's much easier than doing it alone, and you can cook some meals together.

4. Don't be too strict. You can't go from 0 to 100 just like that. Finding a balance takes time so you don't need to be so tough on yourself. I also don't stick to the vegan diet 100%, so if I feel like eating Tony's Salted Caramel chocolate I just do it. There's no one who will look down on you for it, and you should always applaud yourself for trying harder than anyone else!

5. Go out of your comfort zone. The main reason why most people are reluctant to try eating vegan is because it's not like anything they're used to. They're afraid they'll miss out on something. They're afraid it will be too hard. But if you don't try you'll never know. Before I tried I didn't even expect to change my whole diet, but it happened anyway. And I think that's a very positive thing. Don't be afraid of change but embrace it!

Although I might not be the perfect example of "being vegan", I really support this lifestyle which is why I try to inspire more people to shift their food consumption to something more sustainable and ethical. Because I've been slacking a little bit too much lately (eating too much non-vegan food to my liking), I'll try to eat 100% plant-based food this month. Who's with me? Find more inspiration and recipes in the vegan section of my blog.